Come and meet Mayra Porrata as she discusses and signs her new book People are Like Flowers at The Learned Owl on Saturday, October 12th.

Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, will discuss her memoir, River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey. Sister Prejean’s work as an activist nun, campaigning to educate Americans about the death penalty, is known to millions worldwide. Less widely known is the evolution of her spiritual journey from one who looked to God to solve the world’s problems to one actively engaging in social change. Sister Prejean will share her personal story and the relationships with friends, fellow nuns and mentors who have influenced her over the years.

Christopher Leonard will be discussing his book, Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America. The book examines how one private company consolidated power over half a century—and how in doing so, helped transform capitalism into something that feels deeply alienating to many Americans today.

Leonard is a business reporter whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and Bloomberg Businessweek. He is the author of The Meat Racket and Kochland, which won the J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award.

Journalist Sarah Smarsh will discuss her book, Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth at the Hudson Library on Wednesday, September 4th at 7pm. Heartland is Smarsh’s memoir of working-class poverty in America and an examination of the nation’s class divide. The book, a Finalist for the National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize, was named a Best Book of 2018 by NPR, The New York Post, BuzzFeed, Shelf Awareness, Bustle and Publishers Weekly. NPR books calls it “Smart, nuanced and atmospheric ...

New York Times bestselling author and Edgar Award-winner C. J. Box will discuss his latest novel, The Bitterroots at the Hudson Library on Wednesday, August 14th at 7 pm. In his novel, master storyteller Box delivers another searing tale of loyalty, lies and lethal retribution as his protagonist, former sheriff’s investigator Cassie Dewell, tries to uncover the truth and exonerate a man unjustly accused of a crime.